gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

Item 01 – Draft summary of the GSSB
meeting held on 16 May 2023
For GSSB approval
Date

1 June 2023

Meeting

15 June 2023

Description

This document presents the summary of the GSSB virtual meeting held on 16May 2023.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2023

Contents
Participants.............................................................................................................................................. 3
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 3
Decisions and action items ..................................................................................................................... 4
Session 1: Welcome ............................................................................................................................... 4
Session 2: Update Standards Division .................................................................................................... 4
Session 3: Topic Standard Project for Climate Change – Updated TC membership ............................. 5
Session 4: GSSB Work Program 2023-2025 update .............................................................................. 5
Session 5: Close of public meeting ......................................................................................................... 6

Page 2 of 6Participants
Present:NameConstituency

Carol Adams

Chair

Jeff Robertson

Vice-Chair

Loredana Carta

LaborPeter Colley

Labor

Chulendra De SilvaMediating institution

Giulia Genuardi

Business enterprise

Corli le RouxMediating institution

Anna Nefedova

Mediating institution

Deborah Ng

Investment Institution

Jennifer Princing

Business enterprise

Kim Schumacher

Civil society organization

Gangaa Charan Sharma (joined at 13.10)

Business enterprise

Galya Tsonkova

Business enterprise

Apologies:
Name

Constituency

Vincent Kong

Business enterprise

Joseph Martin

Business enterprise

In attendance from GRI:
NamePosition

Bastian Buck

Chief of Standards

Harold Pauwels

Director StandardsMargherita Barbieri

Manager Standards

Gillian Balaban

Sr. Coordinator Governance Relations

List of abbreviations
Abbreviation

Full name

GRI

Global Reporting InitiativeGSSB

Global Sustainability Standards Board

SDStandards Division

WG

Working group

TC

Technical committee

Page 3 of 6

1Decisions and action items

2

The GSSB resolved to approve the following:
GSSB Decision

Item number

2023.1201 – Draft summary of the GSSB meeting held on 28 and 29 March 2023

2023.1302 – Draft summary of the GSSB meeting held on 20 April 2023

2023.1403 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Climate Change – Proposed members forTechnical Committee

3Session 1: Welcome

4

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) Chair Carol Adams (henceforth the Chair)

5

welcomed the GSSB. The Chair presented an overview of the meeting agenda. A quorum was

6established, and the above items were presented to the GSSB for approval.

7Session 2: Update Standards Division8

Chief of Standards, Bastian Buck, provided an update on Topic and Sector Standard projects and the9ongoing collaboration with EFRAG and the ISSB.

10In the previous GSSB meeting, a first draft text was presented for discussion. This text could form the11basis for changes to the GRI Standards when describing the landscape and the relation with other12

crucial standard-setting developments in the sustainability reporting space. In particular, the work of

13

the ISSB and the regulatory mandate at EFRAG to bring about the ESRS. The following points

14

describe the latest developments on this matter:

15•Discussions have continued with colleagues at ISSB and EFRAG, including a full-day

16

meeting with an ISSB Board member to discuss standard-setting endeavors that can17

contribute to the draft work program.

18

•

19
20
21

On the ESRS front, and with EFRAG, the focus is on the linkage and interoperability of thestill-developing ESRS and GRI Standards.

•The collaboration will continue to find ways to explain interoperability to market participants,
and GRI will endeavor to provide technical assistance.

Page 4 of 6

24

Session 3: Topic Standard Project for
Climate Change – Updated TCmembership

25

Margherita Barbieri, Manager Standards, presented the following points for consideration and26

approval by the GSSB:

22
2327

•

This is the third and final group of TC members submitted for approval by the GSSB.

28•

The TC comprises 13 members. It currently includes four mediating institutions, two

29
30

investment institutions, three business enterprises, and two civil society organizations.
•

31
32

Today’s nominees include one labor constituency representative and one civil society
organization from the Africa region.

•33

Though a potential member from Latin America could not join, the substantial network of peer
reviewers will be sufficient to fill the gaps in regional representation.

GSSB members raised the following points for consideration:
34•GSSB members suggested separate bilateral meetings about connecting potential peer

35reviewers into the network.

36

The GSSB approves the following:GSSB Decision

Item number2023.14

03 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Climate Change – Proposed members forTechnical Committee

38

Session 4: GSSB Work Program 20232025 update

39

Harold Pauwels, Director Standards, provided an update on the GSSB Work Program 2023-2025.

40

Revision of the draft work program is ongoing based on the public exposure period and GSSB

41

discussions. The final draft work program will be submitted for approval in the June GSSB meeting.

42

The final draft work program addresses connections through the mapping between the new GRI Topic

43

Standard for climate change and ESRS and ISSB standards versions. It also includes future work on

44

guidance documents to help reporters understand the interoperability between the new GRI Topic

45

Standard for biodiversity and those provided by TNFD and ESRS. The work program further explores

46

new initiatives, such as International Humanitarian Law, and how this could be aligned with the47

Universal Standards, labor, and other social standards.

37

Page 5 of 64849

In response to comments and questions from the GSSB, the SD clarified the following points:•The preamble was expanded from the previous version to incorporate the bigger purpose

50

beyond accountability for impacts to promoting activities consistent with the transformation

51

towards sustainable development.

52
53

•

The Universal Standards address the entire value chain, which includes the supply chain, so
this is a higher-level view. The supply chain is a focus of the projects.

54

Session 5: Close of public meeting55

No other business was raised, and the Chair closed the public meeting at 13.45 Central European56

Summer Time (CEST).

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